-Pusha T: "I don't like hip-hop no more." [Guardian]
-T-Pain (pka Testicular Pain) arrested in Miami. [HHC]
-50 Cent clarifies that Curtis and Before I Self Destruct are two different projects. [DefSounds] [Ed: You're welcome to criticize, condemn, or commend the new banner. Thanks to Hurricane Ivan for hooking it up.]
Jay manages to bolster this single without necessarily stealing Rih-Rih's sunshine in the clip.
Now, I wonder if Jennifer Hudson would be kind enough to let Rihanna borrow her McDonald's pass for 3 months, because she could definitely use a few hamburgers.
Rush went on O'Reilly Factor and apologized to the sourpuss for saying (in a previous interview) that he doesn't care about poor black kids. He also defending his spineless statement that calls for the broadcast industry to bleep out three words, and somehow managed to win O'Reilly's adulation. Let me find out Rush is a closeted Republican.
(Major shoutout to SmashTube for keeping up with all these clips.)
Most of you are familiar with DJ Screw, Big Hawk, and Fat Pat for obvious reasons (the last breed of 'big'-name southern hip-hoppers before the prevalence of 'lil'-name rappers...I suppose), but if you're still unaquainted with Lil Keke, please recognize.
I don't know exactly how we can blame this spineless "no snitching" campaign on "the white man," but I'm sure someone's already working on it. Cam raised one good point though--no major label will EVER be stupid enough to discourage a trend that earns them millions of dollars and further degrades the Black community.
Joel Ortiz - Keep on Callin' The more I hear from Joel Ortiz, the more I'm convinced that he's poised to become one of the future greats if given a chance. In fact, it's a travesty that I failed to include him in my 10 Rappers to Watch list. Actually, I hadn't heard much of Joel's music as of October 2006 when I compiled that list.
Now, I don't know if I can call this an official collabo, since Joel is simply rapping over an old Akon song (P-Money is blanked out and replaced with "Joel Ortiz" in the chorus) that first made rounds in 2004. Regardless, I'm anxiously anticipating his Brick Bodega LP (Koch), due out April 24th.
-Phat Kat's Top 5 Detroit MCs of All Time [ Street Census ]
-Jeezy, Slick Pulla, & some Beanie Sigel lookalike cover next month's XXL [NR]
-Nas' MySpace hacked. Capo questioned. [ Hip-Hop Crunch ]
-Gonzo, who clearly obtained his law degree at Jack in the Box, reaffirms that incompetence is a job requirement in this administration. [GooTube, Olbermann]
-So I was catching up on local news and noticed that some Cho-wannabe had hijacked NASA, merked someone, and then committed suicide. All on the 8th anniversary of Columbine. [ Local 2 , CNN]
-Jin - "Rain, Rain, Go Away" (VA Tech tribute) [Nah'Right]
-Miss Jones (aka Hot 97's Don Imus) KO'd by an aspiring female rapper. [Complex]
-Culture police Al Sharpton, who's obviously salty because Barry Obama has a better shot at becoming the first black Vice President than he does, plans to spend the remainder of the week interrogating Democratic candidates.[Boston Globe]
-Blame Cho Seung-Hui for buying Alberto Gonzales a few extra days, which has now allowed him to compile a 25-page apology ahead of tomorrow's testimony. [Democrats]
-And all this talk about banning bad words from hip-hop. Beetlejuice has a better chance of becoming the next President before that happens. [Different Kitchen ]
Parts 1, 3, & 4. I see we're gradually becoming a race of response; Don Imus says something stupid and folks start calling for hip-hop censorship without looking at the real hole in our soul.
Part 3 is the best part--it's where Kevin Liles calls himself God and nearly stabs a heckler with his collar bone.
-Not even a remix with Junior Reid and Cham can redeem Mims from onehitwonderland. [SmashTube]
-Ornette Coleman wins first music pulitzer. [Vibe]
-Lionel Richie inadvertently disses his own daughter: "“I think it’s a cliché to say, ‘I’m going into rehab. I bumped my foot today — rehab; I hit my head on something — rehab,’”[MSNBC]
Jim Jones Expands His Hustle, Launches DipSkate Team
Music by 50 Cent. You dig?
Apparently, Capo reached out to inline skating filmmakers The Brown Brothers after seeing one of their documentaries. Over a drink of Dipset Sizzurp, the Brown Brothers told Jimmy that the Dipset movement is the realest thing out there. The rest is history.
Jim Jones and his Harlem-based crew The Diplomats are partnering with the newest phenomenon in the world of extreme sports, Freestyle Rolling, to create DipSkate, a Diplomat Records-sponsored skate team.
Now that Jimmy has helped Cam body Jay, Nas, and 50, he's decided to move on to more lucrative (and less lyrically challenging) endeavors.
Diddy: Can I have that Unbelievable CD? Mick: Take that, take that. Diddy: Shut up! Mick: I can't stop cause I won't stop
Mick Boogie won't be saying "ho" on his mixtapes anytime soon. On the other hand, rappers who insist on using such verbal weapon of mass destruction, will continue to drink from the firehose of fair and progressive media outlets like FOX News for inventing the slang and forcing Don Imus to say it at gun point.
While at the barbershop two days ago, I couldn't help noticing that two fellas had spent about 15 to 20 minutes engaging in a mentally enriching discussion about Lil' Wayne and how he made it rain at a famous H-town strip club. Pause.
"Man, that boy Wayne made it rain at HK the other night. That boy must of blew like $30,000."
It sort of reminded me of my own conversation with a friend three weeks ago. My boy had almost bought the idea (sold to him by another Wayne loyalist) that Weezy was literally sitting on real dollar bills in the "Make It Rain" video. My response? "No one's that stupid." The same Weezy enthusiast maintained that his favorite rapper was well ahead of the rest because he rhymed about big money. "Other rappers ain't talking 'bout nothin'," he stressed.
So, here's a question for you: What would you rather hear your favorite rhyme-slingers rap about?
a) Fame and fortune b) Knowledge of self c) Sexual escapades d) Guns and drugs e) Social commentary f) Other (specify)
Street Census—a joint blog venture between your Rizness and Quibian Salazar-Moreno—is now live and direct at Streetcensus.blogspot.com.
In case you're not already familiar with Q, he helped pioneer the daily hip-hop news format at SOHH.com 10 years ago. He currently writes for URB, AOL Blackvoices (even though he's not all that black!), and hiphopcrack.com.
The concept for Street Census is hinged on hip-hop recommendations—best of, worst of, etc—from yours truly, Q, and the artists we run into every now and then. Some of the lists available for your perusal, for instance, include: Stephen Marley's 5 Essential Bob Marley Recordings, Rob Swift's Top 5 Most Influential DJs. and Q's 10 Best Femcees Ever.
Timbaland proves he's more than just a Piano Man. No, wait! That's Scorch Storch.
#5. Timbaland - Timbaland Presents Shock Value - 138,331 #6 Beyonce - B'Day - 125,974 (2,499,246) (Up from No.69 LW) #8. Paul Wall - Get Money Stay True - 92, 510 #9. Akon - Konvicted - 74,643 12 66,844 2,073,593 #17 Young Buck - Buck the World - 55,364 (196,447) #21. Mims - Music Is My Savior45,740 (123,589) #35. Rich Boy - Rich Boy - 31,022 (223,766) #57. Lil' Flip - I Need Mine(2CD) 18,308 (61,755) #64. Young Jeezy - The Inspiration - 16,917 (1,000,761) #66. Redman - Red Gone Wild 16,910 (61,474) #69. Gym Class Heroes - As Cruel As School Children - 16,125 (277,611) #186. Nas - Hip-Hop Is Dead 8,985 (701,644)
Five singles, five videos, and five arrests in damn near five months, yet Snoop is still chasing Game's numbers.
#200. Snoop Dogg Tha Blue Carpet Treatment - 5,361 (840,990) #200. The Game - Doctor's Advocate - 5,361 (904,599)
Scapegoating hip-hop for every social ailment in America is nothing new, if you've been paying attention lately. But to blatantly blame rap music for Don Imus' racist and reprehensible remarks on the Rutgers women's basketball team is outrageous, especially when there's no evidence that said Imus even listens to rap. We're talking about a man with a history of ad hominem slurs, who's described African-Americans with despicable terms like "cleaning lady" and "quota hire" in the past.
Worse still, Imus contradicted his previous sorryloquies on NBC's Today Show yesterday with a classic cop out:
"I may be a white man, but I know that young black women all through that society are demeaned and disparaged and disrespected by their own black men and that they are called that name. I didn't invent the phrase...the phrase was invented in the black community."
No sh*t, Sherlock!
Who's this guy's publicist anyway? Will someone please tell him to shut up and face the fact that what's wrong is wrong irrespective of who's perpetuating it? Treat others as you expect them to treat you, period.
Honestly, I don't know what's more disturbing about this whole saga: the media's superficial obsession with the issue amidst a slow-news cycle or the lip-service (not to mention double standards) approach from the black folks on the other end of the spectrum. Or the fact that hip-hop gets blamed for everything from misogyny to Osama's disappearance.
Blame hip-hop for the Iraq war. Blame hip-hop for global warming. Blame hip-hop for Anna Nicole Smith's death. Hell, if you look at the world trade center long enough, you might catch hip-hop staring right back at you.
If rap music has only been around for about 3 decades, how then is it acceptable to continually blame it for societal ills that existed prior to to the culture's origins?
Enter for a chance to win a free Microsoft Zune Player, courtesy of HHTV x The Rap Up (Comes in either black, brown or white. The winner gets to decide which color they prefer)
Contest starts 04/09/07 at 8am EST and ends on 05/07/07 at 8am EST
Zune Features: Storage: 30 GB Capacity(songs): 7,500 songs Capacity(pictures): 25,000 pictures Capacity(videos): 100 hours of video Built-In FM Radio
These are just some of the features of the Zune player. For a complete features/specifications list and to explore the world of Zune, please go to www.zune.net
Here's what you need to do to enter:
1.) Log on to Myhhtv.com. Go to the section titled JOIN HHTV and register with HHTV. (You cannot enter the contest without registration so make sure you register first)
2.) Write a rhyme no longer than 250 words. The topic for the rhyme is "How Hip-Hop Changed My Life". The person that writes the dopest rhyme wins the Microsoft Zune player, courtesy of HHTV x The Rap Up.
UPDATE: Please send your entries to freezune@myhhtv.com.
-Music business suffers a long, cold winter."A lot of people are confused about where they shop, and it's changing their habits ... it takes a while for people to find new stores." Ever heard of Best Buy?
We've watched a litany of exciting rap releases gush out the gate in the last 2 weeks or so. You won't believe which ones are not flying off the shelves...
#3. Young Buck - Buck the World - 140,250 #4. Mims - Music Is My Savior - 77,596 #5. Akon - Konvicted - 66,844 (1,998,950) #13. Redman - Red Gone Wild - 44,356 #14. Lil' Flip - I Need Mine(2CD) - 43,296 #24. Rich Boy - Rich Boy - 31,778 (192,744) #32. Prodigy - Return of the Mac - 26,768 #71. Devin the Dude - Waitin' to Inhale - 12,105 (37,738) #77. Tha Dogg Pound - Dogg Chit - 11,615 #174.EL-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead - 5,008 (16,425)
NYOIL - Shout it in the Streets (mp3)* Here's the latest track from NYOIL, of "Y'all Should All Get Lynched" fame. You can almost hear the beat panting for breath in a bid to keep up with his lyrical ferocity.
(Taken from NYOIL's Hood Treason debut, slated to hit shelves on 4/10/07)
1. Now that the last three issues of XXL have been covered by southern rappers, is it safe to say that hip-hop lives in the south?
2. Is it just me or has the blue-eyed R&B/soul movement (Joss Stone, Robin Thicke, Amy Winehouse, etc) slowly hijacked the music game?
3. Has anyone ever been able to establish why the media always gets excited whenever Snoop or DMX or Busta Rhymes gets arrested?
4. Don't you sometimes get the impression that Detox is actually a myth and will never see the light of day?
5. Doesn't the Game remind you of an ex-girlfriend (no John Amaechi) who just refuses to go away?
6. Seeing as it's been 8 years since Rakim last dropped an LP, is it OK to assume that his tour money is longer than arms on Alonzo Mourning? *
7. Now that 50 Cent has decided to name his next album Curtis, is it safe to say that Cam lost?
8. With Timbaland helping Hillary Clinton raise some much-needed funds for the elections, why isn't 50 helping his Republican allies with their own campaign?
9. What does hip-hop's #1 albino, Brother Ali, mean when he says he's neither white nor black?
10. How come muslims and five percenters make the best rap music?
11. Isn't Baby Boy da Prince the most creative stage moniker since Lil Cuete?
12. Is Mims "fly" because he's "hot," or is he hot because he's fly?
Audio files on this site are for promotional/evaluation purposes only. All photos are copyrighted to their respective owners. If you'd like your audio/photo removed from The Rap Up, please contact me at rizoh1@gmail.com.
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